HS Hockey Playoff Notebook: Crunch Time

We’re coming down the backstretch of the CPIHL playoffs, with several elimination games played Wednesday night – to be followed by a pair of winners bracket finals and two more elim games contested Friday.

In Tier I, Cumberland Valley escaped Central York’s comeback effort – barely – in a 6-4 win to eliminate the Panthers at Twin Ponds West. The Eagles rolled to an early 3-0 lead before Central gutted out a big comeback to knot it 4 late in regulation.

“I was thinking, ‘why did I ever decide to coach a varsity hockey team’,” CV coach Doug Enck joked, after watching the lead evaporate. “Central York’s tough. I told the boys they came out brilliant in the first period. But [Central] came back and were really up in our skates.”

Joey Capuano’s tally with 5:58 to go gave CV the win and huge sigh of relief. It was one of two goals for the right winger.

Capuano, a converted defenseman playing his senior season, was back at full strength after getting waylaid by the flu bug that has made its way around CV’s locker room for the better part of a month.

“Joey played a big game, and it just wasn’t on the scoresheet,” Enck said. “He was a presence on the ice, played sound positionally.”

The Eagles will play Elizabethtown, which ended Mechanicsburg’s season 8-2. “They’ll shorten their bench and they’re gonna come at us hard,” Enck said. “It’s going to be a tough game. We have work to do.”

E-Town’s Brady Dolan scored four goals, while Blake Hallman compiled a hat trick to show the Wildcats the door in what was likely that organization’s swan song as a pure squad.

The Bears consistently hit the weakside forward roaring through the neutral zone with precision passes. It most cases, Dolan was on the receiving end. The senior forward is almost impossible to stop with a full head of steam.

“That’s something we’ve been working on, and the years have gone on our defensmen have gotten better at that,” E-Town head coach Dave Dolan, Brady’s father, said. “Keep your head up, look for the [outlet]. The first pass is the most important.”

Friday night at Klick-Lewis Arena, Hershey plays Dallastown for one of the berths in the Bears Cup final on March 1.

The Trojans have scored 15 goals in two victories and have gotten solid work from Mark Croxall. They’re looking strong, but the YorkCo Wildcats are battle-tested, with one-goal wins over Central and Cumberland Valley to get here. If Wyatt Malone is on his game in net, we could have a good one on tap. Hershey and D-Town tied the season opener for both prior to a 6-4 Trojans' victory on Nov. 28.

Ephrata got a sublime five-goal outing from Trevor Seibel Wednesday to upend Lampeter-Strasburg 6-5 and knock the Pioneers from the tournament. Seibel’s effort came little more than week after tragically losing his mother.

The undermanned Mounts have obviously been playing inspired hockey to an elevated level. Whether there is a higher dynamic in play is for others to decide.

What we do know is that it has set up another elimination bracket game, this versus Red Land at Twin Ponds East on Friday night. The Patriots got a hat trick from Brett Gummo to eliminate Palmyra 5-2. Red Land outshot Palmyra 40-16.

The Patriots beat the Mounts 6-3 in their only other meeting of the season, on Dec. 3.

Manheim Twp. and Penn Manor are all set for an all-LancCo slobber-knocker at Lancaster Ice Rink for a winners bracket berth into the Viola finals. The Blue Streaks grind and harass while the Comets unload on the net. Manheim Twp. beat Penn Manor 8-5 in their only meeting back on Jan. 7 (a/k/a the 20 Skaters Game). This one should be a great contest – with 18 per bench this time.

Middletown/CD East earned its way into Sunday’s Rothrock Cup title game with a 7-4 win over Northern/Trinity. Middletown/East got a four goal night from Justin Temple and two from Richie Koontz to set up a winner-take-all final meeting with the Triple C’s Sunday night at TPW.

Northern/Trinity could not stay out of the sin bin in the second period, taking seven consecutive penalties over an eight-minute stretch. Middletown/East cashed in with a pair of power play goals.

We’ll have more on the Rothrock Cup final Saturday with a game preview.